For the Best
by gentlehummingbird
Summary: This story is loosely based on what we know is going to happen in future episodes from the sides. We don't know how it happens yet, so this is my interpretation. A bit spoilery if you haven't seen any sides for future episodes, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled! Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

He lay staring at the ceiling as he listened to the sound of water beating on the shower floor. She was humming along to some pop song he didn't recognise, the sweet sound drifting through the gap in the doorway along with hot steam. A smile spread across his face and his heartbeat quickened at the thought of his (_his!_) new girlfriend actually having been in his bed minutes before.

There had been a moment in the night where he had thought he was dreaming, actually sitting bolt-upright and rolling her over to check it was really her. There had been plenty of other women in his bed in the past, but none had made him want to just lay awake staring at them. With her it was entirely different, like she was a precious creature he had ached to hold for so long and once he had her, he feared closing his eyes would end the delicious dream.

It was her, alright. Beautiful, unique, crazy _her_.

Her humming stopped as she dropped something on the floor, interrupting his thoughts. She let out an irritated groan and he chuckled to himself. How could she be behaving so normally? Everything seemed different to him. He was looking at the world through a new set of eyes, as if everything was lighter. He suddenly realised how soppy he was being and cleared his throat to remind himself that he was in fact a manly man. _What a sap, Castellano!_

His thoughts trailed back to the moment he realised it was Now or Never. He had wasted too many opportunities to kiss her in the past, always afraid of where it might lead and how it would affect their friendship. Had he have known for certain that she would react the way she did, he would have kissed her years ago! But in truth, the timing probably wasn't right on all those occasions and their strong friendship was what made the first kiss as passionate and intense as it was.

She meant so much to him and he knew he needed her by his side. In all honesty, he knew that their friendship was strong enough to survive even if she had knocked him back. Thank God she didn't.

He heard the squeak of the shower being turned off, turning his head to face the door. Ready to see her beautiful figure emerge from the doorway. She appeared, a sexy smile spreading across her cheeks. She didn't say a word, just walked slowly towards him, dropping her towel seductively as she approached the bed. He loved her confidence around him, knowing that she didn't ever have it with the other men she'd been with. Her skin was still wet, beads of water dripping from her hair, which she'd tied into a lazy knot at her left shoulder. She was breath taking.

He reached out to stroke her cheek, laying a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. She leaned in for a more passionate embrace, but he teased her by pulling away and shooting her a crooked smile and a sly wink. His smile broadened as he walked away, laughing heartily as she berated him for being such a tease.

After a short while, he stepped back out into the bedroom, peering from behind the bathroom door to check her state of undress. She was still naked, but now draped in the bed sheets from the waist down. She gestured for him to come closer and he dutifully obliged. He knelt at the edge of the bed, placing his arms around her waist and looking up at her deep brown eyes. He took a few moments to drink in her features, marvelling at the intensity of her stare. She looked serious, as if she too was struck by how safe and _normal _this felt.

He leaned forward and took her nipple in his mouth, softly sucking before licking gently up towards her neck. She let out a soft moan, moving her head backwards in appreciation. He moved his hands slowly up her stomach to her breasts, cupping them gently before moving around to her back and holding her in a firm embrace. Only then did he kiss her on the mouth, parting her lips with his tongue. He crushed his lips against hers hungrily, before pulling away and looking down at her delicious body again. He trailed his tongue slowly down her neck, down her collar, over her chest and across her nipples. He continued down to her navel before stopping abruptly and pulling away yet again.

She shot him a concerned look, but he smiled at her with the same playful expression as before. He declared it was time for breakfast, wondering out towards the kitchen as if it was the most appropriate timing in the world.

Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to taste her and feel her tremble at his every touch, but he knew that keeping her waiting would make her all the more frantic for him. Hell, he had waited years to feel her, so she could certainly wait five minutes!

He reached for a pan and turned on the heat on the cooker. Pancakes. He reached for the cupboard door, but was stopped from opening it by the feel of a finger softly trailing down his back. He didn't turn, so soon her touch spread around to his front, as she ran the palm of her hand down his chest. He grinned, determined not to falter at her touch.

But it wasn't her touch that had the power to turn him around. It was her words. She told him that as much as she loved pancakes, she loved him more. _Loved. Him. _

Up until now he had only allowed himself to believe that she was _attracted _to him, and only recently so. Sure, he very much realised that she wanted him, _liked _him a lot. He wasn't expecting an admission like this any time soon.

He looked into her eyes with a curious frown. Was she serious? She seemed to suddenly realise what she had said, and started rambling. Something about getting carried away in the moment, not wanting to freak him out. But he _was_ freaked out. And what the hell for? He had realised months ago that he loved her, why should _her_ feelings unsettle him?

He pressed his lips to hers to gently reassure her that he was in fact OK. Totally Normal. Not At All Panicked. She seemed satisfied and continued with her seduction tactics.

A while later they were laid out side by side, legs in a tangle. Her chest was pressed into his back, her arm tucked underneath his. He could feel her warm breath on his back as he lay awake.

_She loved him. _He knew he should be singing from the rooftops, but he had a niggling feeling in the back of his head. What if he wasn't all she wanted? He was a miserable old man after all, and she had so many rom-com ideals for him to live up to. What if she was only kidding herself that she was in love, and that in actual fact she was just trying to feel something that may or may not come in time?

It wouldn't do. Sooner or later she'd realise that he wasn't good enough for her and he'd end up with a broken heart yet again. He had to end it before it had a chance to get off the ground. Yeah. Yeah that would be for the best. It would hurt like hell at first, but their friendship would survive it, right?

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

They lay in silence, both deep in thoughts that they daren't share. Mindy screwed up her eyes, trying to replay the events of the past hour, searching her brain for a version in which she didn't sound desperate and premature. Nope, she definitely sounded desperate. And definitely premature in her declaration of love. _Love! _What was she thinking? Sure, she adored him and couldn't wait to see how this thing played out, but did she really love him? Two days ago she didn't even realise that he was even attracted to her.

Her stomach did a flip as she thought about how he had responded to it. He looked surprised, but not in a good way. Shocked, really. And who could blame him? The worst part of it all was that he didn't say it back. At least if he had, it wouldn't have mattered if she was a little too soon with blurting out her feelings because he would have felt the same. Now she felt uncertain of his feelings and the transparent shift in atmosphere once it was out there instantly made her fear that nothing was certain between them.

She fidgeted uncomfortably, folding her arms across her chest as she remembered a conversation they had shared at her and Casey's Bon Voyage party. He was scared about things moving too fast with Christina and her desire to rush things made him want to back away from his commitment to her. Now it was her, Mindy, who was pressuring him into something he probably wasn't ready for.

She felt like an idiot, and the uncomfortable silence that now covered them caused her to tense up and shift away from him. Just an inch or so, but enough for him to notice.

* * *

He sensed that she was nervous. She felt tense and abnormally quiet. Was she regretting what she had said? He suddenly realised that he too was twitchy and had not uttered a word since they had peeled their bodies apart. He hated the thought of her regretting telling him that she loved him, even though the admission left him feeling equally scared. His palms were clammy as he remembered her face when he didn't respond with the same declaration. He wished he'd had the guts to tell her there and then.

He closed the gap between them, turning in to face her and placing his arm around her waist and inhaling deeply, smelling her sweet shampoo. He really did love her. But he didn't deserve her.

She moved away from him instantly, clambering off the bed in an awkward rush. He sat bolt upright, dazed by the urgency of her movement. He watched her slip into the bathroom, shooting him a half smile as she turned to close the door behind her. It was like a dagger to the heart. He knew that she was feeling uncomfortable and he didn't know what to say or do to change it.

He rubbed his hands over his eyes and down his face as he considered his next move. Perhaps he was being hasty. Why should he end things so abruptly because he doubted her true feelings? Surely he owed it to them both to at least try and figure things out together? Maybe she was tense because he hadn't reciprocated and not because she regretted it.

He swiftly moved towards the closed door and paused briefly before knocking gently and softly uttering her name. They needed to talk about this before he made a stupid mistake.

* * *

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, cursing herself for being so impulsive. He was probably freaking out right about now, pondering the best tactic for nipping this thing in the bud. She glanced at the door, wondering if she should get in there first and end things before he had the chance. Her thoughts were interrupted by his knock. His voice was so smooth and sexy as he said her name. She smiled at the sound of it. He told her that he was going to attempt those pancakes again and that she needed to come and help him. Reluctantly she turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

He was leaning against the door frame, smiling his impossibly gorgeous smile at her. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt goose bumps trail down her arms at the sight of him. How could she possibly consider ending this?!

He took her by the hand, leading her towards the kitchen. She quickly grabbed his shirt from the floor as she followed him, overcome with a will to cover her modesty. He was still gloriously naked and she stared at his taught muscles as he walked. Hmm… maybe something a little like love was stirring inside her. She was certainly not short on _lust_ for him.

They chatted casually as they sat at the table together. They talked about the last time they had eaten pancakes together and he admitted that he had hoped she was talking about him that morning. She blushed as he told her how beautiful she had looked and how overcome he was with anger at himself for believing that she was once he'd realised the truth. She felt humbled by this new, open Danny. He felt his anxiety fade as her cheeks flushed at his confessions. It was surprisingly easy to tell her all of this now and he felt comfortably satisfied with how the conversation was going.

He reached a hand across the table and softly stroked her cheek with his thumb. She closed her eyes at his touch, a warm smile spreading across her mouth. God, she was utterly beautiful and he inwardly berated himself for even considering ending this for a second.

His touch was glorious and his openness about his feelings from so many months ago left a lump in her throat. She could feel hot tears prickling behind her eyes and closing them was all she could do to stop them falling. They were relieved tears, accompanied by a smile that she couldn't contain if she tried. Okay, so he wasn't declaring his love, but he was letting her see a side of him he had tried to hide and she knew those weren't the actions of a man who wasn't prepared to give this relationship a shot.

She let her head rest against his hand, pressing a delicate kiss on his wrist. She felt his grip tighten as her tears trickled silently over his fingers. They remained like that for a few moments before they were dragged back to reality by the sound of her cell phone buzzing and rudely breaking the easy silence with its deafening tune.

He watched her scuttle towards the bedroom, glancing over her shoulder apologetically (and damn sexily) as she went. He marvelled at her hips swaying beneath his favourite shirt. He heard her groan as she reached the cell, before sweetly answering. Whoever was on the other end of that phone had better have had a good reason to be interrupting such a special moment.

She re-emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, fully dressed and hobbling along on one ridiculously high shoe, clumsily searching for the other and muttering something about an emergency at the hospital. He barely heard her words, lost in his thoughts as he watched this incredible woman switching to professional work mode before his eyes. She tilted her head and giggled at him as he realised he was simultaneously frowning and gawking in his pensive state. She scurried towards him, laying a deep kiss on his lips before hurrying out of the door.

He stared at the door for a few moments after it slammed, a contented smile creeping across his lips. That woman was like a whirlwind. A whirlwind he wanted to keep hold of and never let go.


End file.
